Bring Me the Horizon
by fallingfreely
Summary: They told me that I shouldn't believe in heroes, that no one would come and save me. So, I decided to save myself instead. Sequel to "Sins and an Absolution". Rating may change in the near future.
1. Chapter 1

_It's a scary thing to grow up. You start to see the world for what it really is and hope that you don't fall too hard in the process._

* * *

Noctis sat in the living room, waiting not-so-patiently for the guest of honor to arrive.

Prompto, his blond-haired best friend, laughed at the prince's anxiousness. "Relax," he said calmly, looking behind Noctis to see the clock hanging on the wall behind him. "Tseng confirmed that she's headed towards Radiant Garden. She'll be here."

Still, the prince was on pins and needles. He stared at the large bouquet of red roses that sat on the table in front of them. They were for her.

Gladiolus, who was standing at the giant floor to ceiling window overlooking Radiant Garden, smiled. It was a gorgeous day in the city and a nice change in scenery from their recent traveling. He loved the outdoors but it was still nice to be back in familiar territory.

The only thing missing from this perfect picture was one member of their team.

"So as soon as she gets here," Gladiolus directed this question to Ignis, who was sitting in the living room on a laptop, "we're supposed to head down to headquarters, right?"

"Correct," Ignis said as he adjusted his glasses. "Tseng wants to do a debriefing and send us out on an assignment in a few days. But this one is local so I gather that it's nothing too taxing."

Noctis inhaled sharply and closed his eyes.

 _He watched his attacker fall backwards and scream in pain, tumbling down the stairs until he reached the bottom. He was still alive (Noctis could tell from the man's groaning) but he was definitely going to be out of commission._

 _Noctis looked to the source of the gunshot that saved his life and looked to the top of the stairs. There, standing by a large, floor to ceiling window was a woman. The light from the moon cast a soft light on her, helping Noctis make out her features. She was tall and slender, with tan/light brown skin, long black hair nearly reaching her waist and startling hazel/gold eyes._

 _The woman lowered her gun and stared at the prince. She pulled a finger to her lips as if to tell him to be quiet, giving him a playful smirk. Then she lifted her dress so that it didn't drag across the floor and she disappeared down a dark hallway just as quickly as she appeared._

That was the first and last time he'd seen Jasmine since she went off on her solo mission.

Noctis had no idea why she was in Niflheim – the country that had waged war against Noctis' kingdom. And it was even more confusing to see her walking almost freely in one of the most heavily guarded castle strongholds of the country. But he was thankful for her appearance because it saved his life.

Still, Noctis' mind was racing with thoughts and questions. Even though months had passed he still wasn't given any information on Jasmine's mission and why she was had to leave on her own. Tseng made sure to keep his team at bay by sending them off on their own assignments so he hadn't had too much time to think about it. And on top of that, he never told Prompto, Ignis, or Gladiolus about him seeing Jasmine that night. Judging from her behavior, he could tell that she wanted to stay hidden.

But ever since then, Noctis couldn't keep his mind off her. It was almost as if they were back to square one, trying to figure each other out and this troubled Noctis.

He opened his eyes and stared at the flowers again, remembering the conversation they had the night before she left.

Noctis knew what he wanted. He just needed to know if she was as ready as he was.

* * *

Sora, Tidus and Riku collapsed to the floor of the gym, all three boys panting heavily after their workout.

"Okay," Sora breathed heavily, sweat dripping down his face. "I think we can call it quits for the day."

Riku pulled his hair out of his face just for a shadow to fall over him. He looked up and saw his teacher hovering over him, a wide grin from ear to ear.

"Good job, fellas!" Yuffie said cheerfully.

Tidus and Sora stole a glance at each other. Even though Yuffie, their martial arts instructor, had sparred with all three boys for quite some time, she didn't look exhausted or tired in the slightest. In fact, it looked like she hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Why aren't you tired?" Sora asked after he fell back on the floor, his bright blue eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Yuffie laughed and walked around the perimeters of the sparring ring. "C'mon guys. I'm a 1st Class member of SOLDIER, I own this studio so I've got tons of stamina, and I'm just an overall kick ass ninja. I can go all day if I want!"

Sora groaned out loud. Even though they had been training with Yuffie for months, they all still had a long way to go before they reached a tenth of her level.

"Don't kill them, Yuffie," Zack teased as he leaned on the velvet ropes of the ring. He turned to his right and spoke to Tifa. "You should've sparred against them. Yuffie's not cutting them any slack."

Tifa laughed and brushed her long, dark brown hair over her shoulder. "Neither would I," she admitted. "But then again, Yuffie always was a bit more cutthroat than the rest of us."

Zack agreed with her. "True. At least with the new people anyway."

Tidus wiped the sweat from his brow and grumbled. "Man, how did Jasmine do this all the time? We come here twice a week and we keep getting our butts handed to us."

Yuffie crossed her arms over her chest and sat on the floor near the boys, sitting with her legs crossed. "Jasmine had different training," she explained with a smile. "Plus she's got SOLDIER in her blood. The kid was built for this if I'm bein' honest."

Riku sighed heavily. It had been five months since Jasmine left the islands for her mission. Technically speaking, she was supposed to be back weeks ago but according to Tifa, her mission had been extended. Needless to say, Riku was anxiously waiting for her to return. He knew that she could take care of herself (she'd done it for so long) but he wouldn't feel better until he knew she was back on the islands.

"By the way guys," Tifa announced, "Jasmine's on her way back to Radiant Garden. I just got word from the boss today."

Sora, Riku and Tidus lit up upon hearing the news. Tidus and Sora broke out into Cheshire cat grins while Riku sat there in disbelief.

"Yup!" Yuffie beamed. "Our girl is coming home."

"Tomorrow I'm having a surprise party for her at Seventh Heaven on the Destiny Islands," Tifa continued, smiling herself. "I hope that you'll all be able to come."

"We'll be there!" Sora yelled. He hopped out the ring with ease and searched his gym bag for his cell phone to send out a mass text message to their other friends. "When does she get in?"

"Some time later on tonight or tomorrow morning," Zack replied. "We're just waiting to hear from Jasmine."

"We're getting the party all set up now," Tifa continued, trying her best to contain her excitement. After all this time, her daughter would be back soon.

All she had to do was wait.

* * *

Ventus looked at the body lying next to him in bed covered by sheets. He chuckled as he reached for his glasses on his nightstand, slipping them on his face with ease.

"You keep giving Noctis reasons to hate me," he laughed. "I'm sure he's wondering where his partner is."

Jasmine emerged from the sheets, her black hair a wild, disheveled mess. She wiped her darkly lined hazel eyes, smearing a bit of the leftover makeup on her skin and glanced at the clock hanging on Ventus' wall in front of them.

"He waited five months," Jasmine said with a yawn. "He can wait another day. Besides," a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips, "you live in the same apartment building a few floors down. I'm not far away. Plus, you know he'll give me hell if he knows you live here too. It'll be like Big Brother."

Ventus kicked off his covers and hopped out of bed, reaching for a tee shirt that he tossed aside a few hours ago. "He'll never let you come over if he knew what we've been doing all day."

Jasmine rolled her eyes while a light blush rose to her cheeks.

In truth, she'd arrived on Radiant Garden earlier in the morning than Tseng had predicted. But she was still coming off the high and adrenaline of the mission so she decided to spend what would be some of her last free moments with the one person who understood her best.

Jasmine and Ventus continued their "affairs" after their last trip to Agrabah while still maintaining their close friendship. And while they occasionally met up for various missions, they were questioned by onlookers about their relationship. But both Jasmine and Ventus were firm in staying true to their friendship, even if there was something extra there that wasn't there before.

"Noctis doesn't scare me," Jasmine stated plainly as she scratched the back of her head. "I just don't want to weird him out anymore. Besides, we're still just friends."

"He definitely won't get it," Ventus said with a shrug of his shoulders. "But that doesn't matter. As long as you and I are happy, nothing else matters."

Jasmine adjusted the strap of her tank top when it slipped off her shoulder. She stared at her hands, closely looking at the few cuts and callouses that had started to form from when she started her solo journey. Closing her eyes, Jasmine's mind was bombarded with memories from her trip.

She saw lots of fighting, so many exotic, faraway lands she almost couldn't believe were real, friends she made along the way, friends she lost along the way, blood, and a dark, foreboding message that brought her back to why she was in SOLDIER in the first place – the reason why she couldn't afford to give up or quit fighting.

"It took almost everything I have in me to come back here," Jasmine told Ventus, sounding as if she were ashamed.

Ventus' smile vanished as he saw the pain and turmoil written on her face. He, like the other members of SOLDIER, had almost no idea as to why Jasmine left on her own. But knowing that she did go off alone, Ventus understood that this mission was greater than he probably or anyone else could have realized. And for her to have kept this entire thing a secret? Ventus knew that it must have been eating Jasmine alive.

He took a seat next to her in his bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in an attempt to console her. He knew full well that he couldn't ask her what was troubling her, but the least he could do as a friend was try to be there for her in the best – and only – way that he could.

"I know," he whispered.

"It would have been so easy to have just run away," Jasmine continued. "But…" she trailed off, thinking of Master Xehanort. "Running away wouldn't have solved anything. It would have just bought me a little more time to somewhat enjoy life. I have to help stop this. Some way. Some how."

Ventus gave her shoulders a squeeze. "But you've got help," he reminded her gently. "As much as I know you want to do this alone, you have to let us help you. We know you want to save everyone, but you deserve happiness too."

He watched Jasmine shut down at the mention of her happiness and gave her a slight shake to keep her from retreating into herself.

"Hey," he called out to her, turning her face so that she could meet his gaze. "I've got you. _We've_ got you. Don't you ever forget that. All you need to do is tell us when you're ready, and we're good to go."

Jasmine nodded before she tore her eyes away from Ventus' and looked out the window. The sun was setting now which meant that the day was coming to an end. The next time she awoke, she knew she would hit the ground running.

She envisioned Master Xehanort and the journal pages, as well as Vanitas' warning.

Clenching her fist and swallowing her fears, she suppressed her feelings of anxiety. "I'm ready."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : It's been a long time guys but I'm happy to announce that the third story is here! I know it's been a really long time but I finally have everything I need to get this story going and keep it going.

I know this was a really short chapter but I hope you guys like it. Leave a review to tell me what you all think/thought and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!

Take care all!


	2. Chapter 2

The only thing louder than the music blaring through the speakers of Tifa's restaurant was the sound of laughter that seemed to echo through the building.

Jasmine entered the restaurant with Ventus, half expecting to see just her family. However, she was greeted to something more: all her friends from back home.

Naminé was the first to greet Jasmine. The smaller blonde, who was dressed in a white romper threw her arms around Jasmine, causing the much taller young woman to almost fall forward, and squeezed her tightly.

"It's good to see you too, Naminé," Jasmine said after she released her best friend.

"What took you so long, Sis?" Sora wrapped an arm around Jasmine and led her to the lounge area where the rest of her friends and family sat. "We thought you'd leave us and never come back."

A dark thought crossed Jasmine's mind and she instantly felt guilty. She offered Sora a kind smile and sat down in the booth with her friends. "No," she said. "I was always going to come back. It just took me a while."

Jasmine had an inkling that there was going to be a gathering but she hadn't quite expected it to be this big of an affair. All her friends from school (Sora, Riku, Kairi, Naminé, Tidus, Selphie, Roxas, and Olette) showed up as did her friends from SOLDIER (Ventus, Aqua, Terra, Axel, Reno, Rude) as well as her teammates from Noctis' group and her family came out to celebrate her homecoming. In honesty she felt a bit uncomfortable (as she hadn't expected such a turnout) but she did appreciate all her friends and family coming out to see her.

"You look so fit," Selphie said observantly, poking Jasmine's well-toned right arm. "You should definitely take me to the gym with you."

Jasmine chuckled. "Actually I got these arms from climbing trees," she told Selphie. "One of the places I went to – I can't say exactly where – was this jungle and I had to do a lot of climbing."

Sora's eyes widened. He loved hearing stories about Ventus and Jasmine's travels. Being a curious soul, he always had to know more and more about life outside of the island. "You were in the jungle? What were you doing there?"

"I was on a mission," she replied. "But where I was, there were a lot of predators like leopards and stuff in the area so sometimes I would sleep in the trees…and pray to God that the spiders wouldn't kill me first."

While the group continued to ask Jasmine questions about her journey, Riku sat on the outskirts in silence, taking the scene in.

Jasmine hadn't changed much since he last saw her, save for a little more weight loss while gaining a bit of muscle but there was something very different about her. She seemed like she was tired, not outwardly but he could tell that there was something definitely weighing her down that had her on edge. She looked like she was hiding something too, which he could believe given the nature of her job and the fact that she went away on a mission doing who-knows-what. She just looked so worn out even though at the party she was trying to convince everyone that she was okay.

But Riku knew better.

Or at least he hoped so.

He hoped that at least he was still able to read her, even if it was only a little bit.

"That jungle was a mess," Ventus chimed in, adding to Jasmine's story. "It's so dense and hard to move around. Plus there's a ton of predators lurking about. It's more stressful than exciting honestly."

"I know," Jasmine's laughed. She pulled up the hem of her skirt lightly and revealed four large claw marks halfway up her thigh.

Kairi, Sora, and Roxas stared in shock.

"What happened?" Roxas asked, concern completely taking over.

"Oh," Jasmine put her skirt back into place. "When I got to the jungle, this leopard was stalking me and tried to kill me when I was falling asleep. The locals called her Sabor. Fortunately this is the only real damage. When she heard my gun go off she ran away."

Naminé's face paled upon hearing the story. "Really Jasmine? A LEOPARD?"

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders casually, trying to downplay the situation even though it was quite grave. "I was expecting wild animals so I prepared for that. But still, I'm happy to be out of there."

"You said you went to a desert city, right?" Selphie asked, dying to hear more of the story.

"Oh yeah, I've been to this one city a few times," Jasmine replied, remembering Agrabah like it was yesterday. "It was actually one of the more pleasant trips."

"Except for the time that the castle guards mistook you for the princess," Ventus joked.

Jasmine shook her head and sighed. "They _really_ weren't that smart."

"You've been mistaken for a princess before?" Selphie's eyes widened. It was like Jasmine was living a real life fairytale.

"Once. Her name is Princess Jasmine – which is part of the reason why I started asking people to call me by my last name."

"They really do look alike," Ventus confirmed, "at least enough to cause confusion at first glance. They both have really long black hair, darker light brown skin, and kinda similarly shaped eyes. Jasmine's just a lot taller, has different colored eyes and isn't quite as dark skinned as the princess is."

"Wow," Sora fell back and stared at Jasmine in awe. "You live the kind of life people write stories about. I know it's tough and all but it still sounds amazing."

"It's definitely interesting…" Jasmine trailed off. "I'll say that much."

"So are you coming back to school with us in the fall?" Sora asked, hopeful that the answer would be "yes".

Jasmine shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry but I won't be back. At least not now. I tried doing the SOLDIER thing and school but it wasn't working out. I'll maybe try again in the spring or fall of next year."

Deflated, Sora sank in his seat.

Jasmine took the time to study the boys. She hadn't said this before but she had noticed that a lot of them (including Roxas) looked a great deal more physically fit since the last time she'd seen them. This was especially the case with Riku. Stealing a glance at Tifa, Yuffie and the others, Jasmine secretly wondered if they had any training since she left the island. And if so, then for what? She'd only seen people bulk up that quickly in SOLDIER.

Frowning inwardly but keeping her façade up, Jasmine made a mental note to do some research when she got back to the apartment with Noctis.

* * *

Vanitas knew that he wasn't an angel.

He knew that he had his own reputation and body count to consider when it came to SHINRA. That's in part why he was such a feared member of the organization.

However, there were still a few people who could cause even him a fair amount of discomfort (even though he would never dare show it). Yazoo, Loz, and Kadaj were definitely on that list. But ranked even higher on that list was his uncle, Master Xehanort, and his uncle's other right hand man: Xemnas.

Vanitas sighed heavily as he entered into a small hotel room in the middle of the Third District in Traverse Town. For starters, he hated the theatricality of his uncle (a simple office back on Hollow Bastion or even Radiant Garden would have sufficed) but he knew better than to argue with him on his methods. After all, Master Xehanort had a reason for everything.

When Vanitas and Stella entered the room, they were immediately greeted by Master Xehanort, who was sitting at the desk on the far right side of the room. Xehanort was accompanied by one of his right hand men, Kadaj who smirked as soon as he spotted Vanitas.

The younger SHINRA member cringed inwardly. He absolutely despised Kadaj and his teammates. They were perhaps the most vile and disturbed men he'd ever met. Still, Vanitas knew it would be wise to keep his thoughts to himself.

"It is good to see you, Nephew," Master Xehanort greeted in an almost sincere fashion.

Vanitas reached out to shake his uncle's hand, taking a seat next to him at the desk. "Where is Xemnas?"

"He should be here any moment." Master Xehanort stared at his nephew. "You look well."

"As do you," Vanitas said absently. "To be honest, I'm surprised that you wanted to meet here of all places – especially when the base is on Hollow Bastion."

Master Xehanort leaned back in his seat. "This is true. But Traverse Town has…a lot of promise."

Before he could say anything further, the door swung open and everyone looked to the doorway. In walked in a tall, tan/orange skinned man with silver hair almost reaching the middle point of his back with large, deadly, orange/amber eyes. Like the others, he wore a dark suit and he entered with, what appeared to be, his own bodyguard.

Vanitas narrowed his eyes when he saw that Xigbar had been the one to accompany him but tried to hide this. Ever since Jasmine escaped from Vanitas' mansion several months ago, something had been slightly off about the older SHINRA member. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but he knew that Xigbar wasn't quite the same.

"So now that everyone is here," Master Xehanort cleared his throat. "Now we can get to business. As you all are aware, we usually meet at Hollow Bastion with the rest of our members. However, for this mission I wanted to keep things as low key as possible."

"Go on," Xemnas urged gently.

"I'm sure that you all are aware that I've spent a great deal of time here in Traverse Town. The outer "worlds" – as our friends from SOLDIER call them – are different than the other cities and countries," Master Xehanort continued. "They seem to be lost in time, in different eras. We've seen this in Deep Jungle, The Land of the Dragons, Traverse Town, and many more. But there's something here in Traverse Town…something special that I feel needs looking into."

"Which is?" Vanitas asked curiously. Truth be told, his uncle hadn't given him much information on why they were all called here. He knew that Master Xehanort had been spending a lot of time in Traverse Town, exploring the three districts, but he didn't know why.

"I'm having the scientists test out a few of the plants here. They have…unique properties and potential."

Vanitas closed his eyes. He was here for one of his uncle's science projects?

"What's so special about these plants?" Vanitas asked, his words laced with annoyance.

Master Xehanort smiled, a deadly grin pulling at the corners of his lips. "I will explain that soon, Nephew. But more of that later. We need to make sure that SOLDIER steers clear of this area. I don't need them to interfere with my plans, especially since they're in the early development stages."

Vanitas immediately envisioned Jasmine. The last time he'd seen her, he helped her steal something from one of his own members of SHINRA. No one knew about this of course (as he'd taken care to cover his tracks) so he wasn't worried about being discovered. He was however, concerned about what her next steps would be.

"I don't think we have to worry about them too much," Kadaj told the group. "We're unstoppable."

Although Vanitas would love to beg to differ, he decided to keep his mouth. He knew that Jasmine was out there somewhere, preparing for whatever Master Xehanort was up to. If it was one person who could stop them all, he believed it would be her.

Master Xehanort smirked. "Well that's all for now. Look out for information in the next couple of days on what your assignments will be. Dismissed."

Vanitas rolled his eyes. All of this could have been done in a phone call. Instead his uncle had to drag everyone out to this Godforsaken "world". In theory, Vanitas should have been used to his uncle's theatricality but still, at times even he was surprised by how over the top he could be.

"Vanitas," Master Xehanort called out as everyone began to leave.

Vanitas and Stella paused before they could get out of the room. Coolly, Vanitas glanced over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"Don't fail me," Master Xehanort said simply. "Your part is…crucial."

Not liking the way Master Xehanort looked at him, Vanitas turned away after giving him a nod. 'I wonder what he's got planned this time.'

* * *

Jasmine entered the apartment, taking off her shoes in the entryway. As she leaned against the wall for balance, Noctis locked the door behind them.

"I think I'm going to take a shower and just head to bed," Jasmine informed Noctis. "I'm pretty tired and we have to be down at SOLDIER early tomorrow morning."

Noctis nodded even though he knew she couldn't see him.

Jasmine was supposed to have been back yesterday but she called yesterday evening and informed him that she had indeed arrived, but that she was going to see her family first. While Noctis had to admit that he was a bit annoyed (or rather disappointed in reality) that she didn't come home when she originally said she would, he was just happy that she was back.

"How was the mission?" He asked, following her as she headed towards her bedroom.

Jasmine stopped once she passed by the living room area. She and Noctis hadn't had much time to talk about much of anything when she got back. In fact, she spent more time with Prompto and Gladiolus than her own roommate. But seeing as things were still a bit rocky with them, Jasmine kept her distance – especially since she'd had a run-in with him on one of her missions.

"It was…tough," Jasmine replied cautiously, taking a spot on the sofa. She figured that this wouldn't be a quick conversation. After all, they hadn't quite cleared the air before she left. Things wouldn't be any different now. "I went to a lot of new worlds. It was…hard but…"

"But?" Noctis lifted an eyebrow.

Jasmine allowed herself to smile a bit. "But…it was amazing," she said, her voice almost in a whisper.

Noctis took a seat across from her on the opposite sofa, watching her face and studying her expression. He'd never seen this side of Jasmine before. She was struggling to maintain her cool but he could feel the excitement welling up within her. Her eyes were wide with discovery, as if she'd stumbled upon something not of this world and she looked so much like a child in this moment. It was refreshing to see this side of her, almost amazing in fact. But still, there was a danger to her new sense of adventure. And they still had much to discuss.

"I suppose it's safe to say that I can't ask what you were doing in Niflheim," Noctis stated in a more serious tone.

Jasmine's expression darkened, her childlike demeanor gone within a flash. Instead, she gave him a semi-smirk, a mischievous look in her eyes. "You can ask, but it doesn't mean that I can answer."

Noctis sighed. He expected this but he hadn't expected her to be so curt about it. She looked at him almost as if to say, "You should know better than to ask". Still, at least he asked. "The least I can do is say thank you," he said after a brief pause.

Jasmine shifted in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest and turning to look in another direction. "You don't have to say thank you, Noctis. It's not like I would let you get hurt if I could help it."

The air became heavy again, this time for a different reason. The feelings and thoughts Noctis tried to bury since their blowout began to surface, causing him to become uncharacteristically flustered. He glanced at the roses sitting on the table between them that he had purchased for her and closed his eyes. He wondered if time had caused things to smooth things over for them.

"Do you still have the ring?" Noctis asked finally.

Jasmine, almost as if snapping out of a daze, raised her right hand, revealing a heavy platinum ring on her middle finger. The ring, a gunmetal gray with row of small red crystals Jasmine had never seen before, had been given to her by Noctis the night before her trip. He made her promise to always wear it and keep it safe. "Of course," she replied confidently. "Although I have to admit I don't know why you gave it to me. Isn't this yours?"

"It belonged to my father," Noctis announced.

Jasmine reeled back, her jaw almost dropping. She was wearing the king of a king? "Why did you give this to me? To keep it safe?"

"It's a good luck charm," Noctis explained quietly. "Legend has it that the rings of the kings had special magical properties that keep all those who wear them from harm. Plus, it's said that those who wear them gain the knowledge of all the previous kings."

Her hand now shaking, Jasmine stared at the ring again as if she'd never seen it before. When he gave her the ring, he failed to explain its deep history. And when she looked even closer, she realized that the crystals on the ring must have been the Caelum crystals – the very same jewels that people in Noctis' country were fighting for.

"I thought it would bring you good luck," Noctis explained, finally answering her questions.

Shaking her head, Jasmine slipped the ring off her finger, feeling a very strange sensation when she removed the item. She immediately felt cold and drained for a reason she could not understand. Still, despite the feeling, she held it out for Noctis. "You should take it. It doesn't belong to me. Besides, I'm back now. I don't need it anymore."

"No," Noctis said firmly. "I want you to hold onto it for a little while longer."

Frustrated with Noctis' stubbornness, she rolled her eyes and slipped the ring back on her finger. "Fine, but I don't plan on having this thing for much longer."

"Believe me, I'm going to take it back eventually," Noctis told her as he stood up. "Just not now."

Noctis walked past Jasmine but stopped before she was out of earshot. "By the way, I know Ventus lives in this building now."

Jasmine's stomach dropped to the floor but she refused to look as bothered as she felt. "When did you find out?"

"Last night," Noctis answered. "Tseng told me that Ventus was the one to pick you up yesterday and that he was staying here now. I put the pieces together after that."

Judging from Noctis' harsh and disapproving tone, Jasmine knew that he wasn't pleased about this. "Yeah, I stayed at his place yesterday and got some rest. I didn't think there would be a problem with it."

"We were expecting you," Noctis stated.

Knowing that Noctis was right in this situation, Jasmine apologized. "I'm sorry. I'll be more mindful next time."

"Thank you." Noctis began to walk off when Jasmine stopped him.

"I know you're not comfortable with Ventus," Jasmine called out.

Noctis looked over his shoulder. "I have no problem with him. Ventus is a member of SOLDIER. Plus, he saved your life."

"That doesn't matter," Jasmine argued. She remained on the sofa and refused to chase after Noctis for this conversation. She had sensed it for quite some time now. With Ventus living in the same area now (and their friendship stronger than ever), Jasmine knew that she had to address this now. "I can't understand why he makes you so on edge. He's a good guy. You should want a guy like that in your corner."

Noctis was well aware of Ventus' background. Sure enough, the blond received nothing but praise in SOLDIER. After all, he was a high ranking member, had a 100% mission success rate, and has an extensive medical background. Plus, he was generally a pleasant person. But still, there was something about Ventus that bothered Noctis – and he only noticed it when he was around Jasmine.

"It's not that I don't like him," Noctis groaned, struggling to find a way to articulate how he felt. "You two…I just don't understand you guys."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "What's to understand? We're friends. Yeah we're close but that's all there is to it."

And yet, Noctis still wasn't convinced it was as simple as that. He wasn't that experienced with women himself, but he'd seen enough with Prompto and the women he involved himself with to notice when there was something slightly off about a "friendship". Still, he didn't have any proof that Jasmine and Ventus were anything more than friends. But regardless, he was going to keep an eye on them.

"I'll take your word for it," Noctis said finally before he went on his way.

Once Noctis was out of earshot, Jasmine exhaled. Between Sora and the others, Vanitas, and now Noctis, the men in her life were really starting to take a toll on her.

"What is it with these guys? Ugh." Jasmine laid back on the sofa and pulled a pillow over her face.

 **Author's Note** : Hey guys! I'm glad to see everyone. I'm honestly so overwhelmed by the amount of support you guys give me and this story. I just hope that you guys enjoy it as much as I love writing it.

This story is going to have a lot going on (new characters, new plots, references to other stories) and I hope I can deliver. What did you guys think of the new chapter? Right now there are a lot of loose ends that haven't been tied up and our characters are all struggling in their own way to make sense of what's going on. How do you feel about Noctis' relationship with Jasmine as well as him loaning her his ring? What do you think the future holds for Sora and the others?

 **hopefuldreamer1991** : I'm so glad to be back and I'm so glad that you guys liked the first chapter. I can't say exactly what it is the boys are doing but they are doing something. And yes, Jasmine and Ventus have a "situation" going on.

 **Meyoume** : Can't say what it is yet but it's something for sure!

 **GUEST** : Yup! The wait is over!

 **Pinkdinosaur** : Gotta love the boys. Roxas wasn't in the first chapter but he'll be around for sure.

 **Guest** : Exactly. All of the younger characters are entering their first year of university, and the others are in their sophomore year. Gotta keep some things the same after all but everything is going to pick up quite soon.

 **relena soulheart** : Thank you! I'm so glad to be back! I hope you enjoy the story and liked the new chapter!

 **Nolumosthesun** : You'll be finding that out in the near future. I have something big surrounding all that.

 **longTimeReader** : I know! It's been well over five years since this story started. I can't believe how fast time flies. I'm thankful for readers like you who've stuck with me through all of this.

 **Guest** : I mean haha this is Yuffie after all. She's a trained fighter. It'll be some time before the boys get to her level. I hope you liked the new chapter!

 **Sookdeo** : I agree. While they sort of patched things up, they're nowhere near solid. They've got a lot of growing to do. Oh Riku knows to a certain extent, but then again not everything is shared with Jasmine's job and her plans. And it's true. Jasmine understands that running away isn't for the best. Eventually she'll have to deal with her problems head on so running away, while it will buy her time, won't end well in the long run.

 **animechick247** : I'm glad you're excited for the story! It means so much to me! As for the boys, you'll see what they've been up to quite soon. I really hope that you like the story and I'll get to work on the update soon!

 **Skeleus** : I hope you liked the chapter!

 **BelowtheFire** : thank you so much for the compliment! I'm just happy that you like it as much as you do. I'll be working on the new chapter ASAP.

Okay guys. Let me know what you thought of this chapter and I'll see you all at the next one. Take care!

P.S…and we'll be seeing some new faces too.


	3. Chapter 3

"This doesn't feel right," Prompto lamented. "Not at all, Noct."

Noctis, who was standing right beside his friend/comrade in the elevator, gave his friend a quick once over. The blond was fidgeting in his clothes and tugging at the crisp tie he wore.

Noctis inwardly chuckled. Prompto was never one for formal attire and tonight, he was forced to do just that. Wearing black slacks, dress shoes, and a black vest over a white dress shirt while Noctis was wearing a well-tailored black tuxedo, the pair had to look the part in order to blend into the crowd for tonight.

Tseng's latest assignment for the team was to journey to an island off the coast of Hollow Bastion. This island claimed to now have one of the largest casinos in the world and that tonight was the grand opening. To celebrate the opening, there was a high stakes poker tournament held there. Fortunately for them, Ignis had secured an invitation for him and his team without much difficulty as the event had quite a restricted guest list. Their task was to enter into the tournament and find one of the men participating in the tournament – a man with ties to SHINRA and bring him into custody.

"Where is Jasmine?" Prompto asked Noctis, anxiously fidgeting with his cufflinks.

"She arrived at the casino an hour ago with Gladiolus," Noctis informed him. "I assume we'll be seeing her at some point before the tournament begins."

For the first time all night, Prompto smiled. "Finally…something _I_ can actually enjoy on this mission."

In addition to being Noctis' "bodyguard" for the evening, the young blond was also acting as his advisor. From early childhood on, Prompto had been a master poker player – gambling on the streets and in casinos around the world. The prince, who was originally a novice player at best, received coaching from Prompto for the last two days. And while none of the men could receive help from anyone during the game, Prompto could still provide tips to Noctis during the breaks that were scheduled.

When they reached the ground floor where the main level of the casino was, the doors slid open, revealing the new casino in all its glory. Set in a dramatic crimson red and gold color scheme, the casino truly was everything Noctis and Prompto imagined and more. In this particular section of the casino there were dozens of gaming tables, hundreds of men and women seated at the tables with hundreds more walking through the area. The room was well-lit by intricately designed crystal chandeliers that glowed a dim gold light, giving the casino a dark, seductive air about it.

Prompto stepped out of the elevator first and two women passed by, one of them eyeing him before they disappeared into the crowd.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Maybe I'll get lucky tonight."

Noctis rolled his eyes and moved through the crowd. "Chill out. We're on a mission. When we're done then you can chase after whoever you can get."

Prompto glanced at his wrist watch. The poker tournament was to take place in ten minutes and it would take a solid five to clear the area and get to the game room. "Do you have the card?"

Noctis reached into his jacket and pulled out a small gold keycard, the keycard that gave them access to the gaming room. "Right here."

"And do you remember all the tips I taught you?" Prompto asked. He couldn't help him during the actual game but for the tournament, they were given breaks. While they were on break, Prompto could advise him on what to do next to increase their chances of winning. But even more so, their target was also a champion poker player so they had to last as long as possible so that they could capture him. "Don't play every hand, watch the other players carefully, and keep your cool. SOLDIER is giving us a lot of money for this game so we can't blow it."

"You should have been the one to play," Noctis stated. He knew that he was just a beginner and was fully aware of the fact that Prompto was more skilled than he was.

In fact, Noctis had asked Prompto to step in for him. But for the sake of "appearances", Prompto thought that it would be better if he served as an advisor seeing as Noctis seemed to fit the part better than he did.

"You'll be fine." Prompto placed a hand on Noctis' shoulder to calm his friend's nerves. "Just stay calm and we'll get through this. Try and have a bit of fun too. After all, this is a casino."

When Prompto and Noctis reached the door to the tournament room, they were halted by two security guards dressed in black suits. Noctis held out the card key for them to see and, once they inspected it, stepped aside and opened the doors for them.

"Where is Jasmine?" Noctis whispered to Prompto. He was sure that she would have at least met them in the main casino area but still, after a day of not seeing her, she was still nowhere to be found.

"I'm sure Miss Valentine is inside," Prompto stated cheerfully. "You know her. She's always one or two steps ahead of us."

The tournament room was just as extravagant as the rest of the hotel. Continuing with the red and gold color scheme, this room was just as dim as the hotel, making it slightly difficult to see. The room was fairly spacious with four tables in each corner of the room with one large table in the center on an elevated platform. Noctis and Prompto looked at each other, both of them realizing that table was probably reserved for the last round.

There were a lot less people here, maybe about twenty or so. After all, this was a high stakes poker game. The grand prize? Ten million munny. And not everyone could afford to buy into a game such as this.

Noctis didn't mind though. The less people around, the better it served him when it came time to capture his target. He didn't know if things were going to get messy so it was ideal for there to be as few people as possible.

Prompto and Noctis surveyed the area. There didn't appear to be too many players and all of them had come with, what appeared to be, a bodyguard. Once the tournament commenced and people got knocked off, there would be even fewer people to have to worry about.

Prompto spotted three of, what looked to be, their opponents at the bar flirting with the few women in the room. He chuckled, thinking to himself that they'll be the first to go.

Noctis and Prompto found the table they were assigned to, choosing to stand while they waited for the host to begin the tournament.

"I can't believe these people can afford to gamble away millions," Prompto said, slight contempt in his voice.

"One of the many cruel realities of the world," Noctis commented, feeling slightly uncomfortable in the room. "Let's try to get out of here as quickly as possible."

Laughter erupted from one corner of the room, causing Prompto to look for the cause of the commotion. Noctis kept his eyes on the table, trying to remember Prompto's teachings and the plan.

"Where the hell is Jasmine?" Noctis asked.

Wordlessly, Prompto tapped the prince's shoulder, pointing to the area where the other men were laughing.

Glancing over his shoulder once before doing a double take, he finally spotted Jasmine. Eyes widening in surprise, he watched her walk over to their table with not only their target in tow, but two other men he hadn't seen before.

"Talk about causing a scene," Prompto teased, reveling in the shock that was plastered on Noctis' face.

Jasmine, like everyone else, was dressed formally but her appearance was a bit more dramatic. She wore a black, floor length halter dress and an open back. As if enough skin wasn't showing, she also had a high slit up the dress that nearly reached her hip. Her hair was parted to the side in soft waves with strands falling over her face, partially covering one of her dramatically made up eyes. She towered over most of the men in her stilettos who stared at her as she walked by. But her eyes were on Noctis and no one else.

"I've been waiting for you," Jasmine said in a low sultry voice as she approached Noctis. She walked up to Noctis and slipped her arms around him, pulling him close while resting her chin on his shoulder.

Noctis initially stiffened at the act, causing Prompto to chuckle. After all this time, Noctis was still so uncomfortable with close contact with women. But then again, Prompto himself had to admit that Jasmine looked amazing and, admittedly, quite…distracting.

"I wanted you to meet someone." Jasmine held onto Noctis' arm but turned him to one man dressed in a white tuxedo jacket, black slacks and a bright red tie. He was much older than the others however he still possessed a youthful glow about him. He had white hair tied in a low ponytail, brown eyes (one of them covered with an eyepatch that did not fully conceal the scar underneath), and was rather tall, easily able to see eye to eye with Jasmine in her heels.

"This is Braig," Jasmine said. "He's one of your competitors."

Immediately Noctis and Prompto realized that this man was their target for the evening. The pair looked to each other and Noctis shook Braig's hand firmly.

"A pleasure," Noctis said cordially. "My name is Regis," he lied.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Braig said with a cheerful smile. "I've been really looking forward to this tournament for quite a while. Definitely gives an old coot like me something to do at the very least."

'Another old man with too much time on his hands,' Prompto thought to himself, trying his best not to roll his eyes.

"We were starting to wonder when the last competitor would show up." Braig stepped closer to Jasmine and Noctis. "I was starting to think this charming creature here was my opponent," he made a motion to Jasmine and grinned from ear to ear. "Although I'd rather her be the prize. I have more than enough money."

Despite wanting to cringe inwardly at the way she was being eyed, Jasmine never broke character and remained calm. She was used to this. Being a woman in SOLDIER meant that on these various missions, you had to play a character and become an object in order to get what she wanted. While it still irritated her to no end that the men never saw her as a threat, she counted herself as lucky because it made her job that much easier and gave her an edge.

She waved her left hand, flashing the ring Vanitas had given her some time ago before resting the hand on Noctis' chest. "As flattered as I am, I have to say that I'm already spoken for. And I'm not much of a gambler. I'm afraid I'm not that lucky."

Braig stared at "Regis" and laughed. "Well it seems like I've already taken a loss. You're a lucky man."

Noctis' eyes never left Braig as he slinked an arm across Jasmine's waist, albeit stiffly. "I am. I'll see you during the tournament."

Braig nodded before giving a kind-hearted smile and turning his attention to the other competitors.

Noctis walked away with Jasmine and Prompto, electing to put some distance between themselves and their target.

"You put on quite a show," Noctis commented as he let go of Jasmine.

Jasmine rolled her eyes and Prompto stepped in to keep the peace.

"What he meant to say," Prompto cleared his throat, eyes scanning over Jasmine. "Is that you look amazing, Miss Valentine."

Jasmine smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Prompto." Keeping her face as is in a cheerful expression, she shared with the two what she learned. "That man, Braig. He's our target. The two men with him? Those are his bodyguards. Are _you_ ready?" She asked Noctis.

Prompto put his hand on the prince's shoulder. "He's got this."

Nodding, Jasmine continued. "I put on a show alright," Jasmine began. "About four of your competitors have had a few drinks which should screw with their heads."

Prompto chuckled. "I'm sure that was all you."

Jasmine allowed her smirk to pull through. "All I said was that I was thirsty. I didn't expect them to jump in – though I did mention to a few of them that it would be rude to make me drink by myself."

Prompto crossed his arms over his chest and smiled in satisfaction. "You're becoming a real woman of SOLDIER."

Jasmine did not know how to take the statement, even though she was sure that it was a compliment of sorts. She felt herself being shaken back to the reality of her situation but immediately pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. "I'm going to take a look at the grounds again. Once the tournament begins, I'm going to take my place."

"We'll see you after the break," Prompto said cheerfully.

She nodded to Prompto before turning back to Noctis. She walked up to him and leaned in so that her lips just barely grazed his right ear. "Relax," she advised him. "You're going to blow it if you don't calm down. You can do this."

Before Noctis could respond, he was silenced when Jasmine kissed his cheek. He could feel the heat rising to his face and he made no attempt to hide his shock.

Jasmine didn't bother trying to hide the smirk on her face. "Didn't I just tell you to relax? Don't blow it."

Without another word, Jasmine disappeared from Noctis and Prompto's sight and into the crowd of people.

"She has a point you know," Prompto teased. "Don't look so surprised. After all, you two are supposed to be playing a part here."

Noctis snapped out of his daze and shot a glare towards Prompto. "Shut up." He watched as the host of the tournament called everyone to attention. "We have work to do."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Sorry it's been such a long time guys. I've been sitting on this for so long and between school and work, I've been really stressed out and had to put this down for a while. But things seem to be settling down so it looks like I'll have a consistent update schedule again very soon.

Pardon this chapter for being so short. It's kind of a lengthy one and I need to do a lot of backtracking to my old stories to make sure that everything is accurate.

 **Hopefuldreamer1991** : Yeah, it'll be interesting for sure. I'm trying to do a lot more experimentation with the boys in this story. I feel like their characters as a whole have been so underutilized – especially Roxas (who I do regret treating so poorly from the beginning of the story until now) so we'll see how they progress and how they interact.

 **Meyoume** : Oh yes…there's going to be a lot with Roxas.

 **Guest** : Glad you're excited/like it!

 **Nolumosthesun** : me too. In truth, I miss the simple days when they were in high school. It's refreshing to see them together.

 **Guest** : Oh yes. I have a few more bad guys up my sleeve too!

 **LongTimeReader** : Thanks! I'd hoped you guys would like the idea.

 **Pinkdinosaur** : Unfortunately, my lips are sealed for now on this one!

 **Skeleus** : I sincerely hope you guys enjoy this new cast as much as I am/will.

 **animechick247** : Oh yes. Leave it to her to find out the truth. And yes, her relationship with Noctis is still extremely unstable right now. They still have a lot to do in terms of recovering.

Well I sincerely hope that you guys enjoyed this (short) chapter! I'm editing the next one as we speak and I hope to have it up soon. Thanks for hanging in there and I'll see you all next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Roxas stared at Sora, his bright blue eyes wide in disbelief as he watched his friend finish off a second plate of desserts. "How in the world do you have room for all that?" He asked. "You had two entrees _and_ a dessert already."

Kairi, who was sitting across from Roxas laughed at the blonde's shock. "That's why we call him the bottomless pit. I think his record is ten plates of food in one sitting."

"Oh I remember that," Naminé said, finishing off her iced tea. "We actually needed a second waiter because we were there so long."

Roxas shook his head in disbelief. His friend was truly remarkable. "Don't you have sparring practice with Yuffie today? You're gonna throw up halfway through the workout."

Sora scoffed and grinned from ear to ear. "I never take on more than I can handle."

Roxas lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Because I remember you throwing up last week at the carnival because you ate too much before going on a ride."

Sora's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as Kairi and Naminé broke out into a fit of laughter. He threw his arms over his shoulders and leaned back, staring at the sky to avoid making eye contact with everyone. "Bet you can't find any more examples…"

"Go easy on the junk food, kid!" a high-pitched shrill voice commanded Sora, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin from surprise.

When the brown-haired freshman turned around, he locked eyes with Yuffie, his instructor, and Tifa, Jasmine's godmother.

"I can have a cheat day, can't I?" Sora asked, his eyes wide with the hope that Yuffie would excuse his slip up and not run him into the ground the next day he takes her class.

Yuffie, who was dressed casually in a pair of khaki shorts and a white tank, rolled her eyes. "I guess so. But I hope you know that when you come in next time, you're doing extra push-ups, kid."

While Sora groaned, laughter erupted from the rest of the group members. Tifa scanned over them and realized that they were missing someone. "Where's Riku?"

Yuffie looked up at Tifa. "He's sparring right now with Zack. I think they've been going at it for an hour."

Tifa smiled. Out of all the boys, Riku was the one she saw the most at Yuffie's studio. In the time short time since he started working with Zack and Cloud, she'd been able to connect more with the young man and formed a bond with him. He changed so much since his earlier high school years and was becoming a stronger, more intelligent, and calm young man. He was drastically different from how he was over a year ago.

"Yeah, why can't you guys be more like Riku?" Yuffie rolled her eyes dramatically.

Sora chuckled. "I've been getting that since I was a kid and I'm not gonna change now."

"Still," Yuffie trailed off, "I expect to see you guys later today."

"We'll be there!" Roxas reassured her. "I'll make sure this guy doesn't try and dip out."

"Oh yeah," Kairi added. "If you don't, I'm sure he'll be laying on the beach somewhere sleeping."

"Or he'll be back for his second lunch," Naminé chimed in.

"Okay guys!" Sora yelled. "We get it!"

Tifa laughed and bid the group her goodbyes while Yuffie followed behind her.

"That's a good group of kids," Yuffie commented.

"I agree," Tifa replied as she waited at the crosswalk for the light to turn green. "Hey, Yuffie?"

The shorter girl looked up. "What's up?"

"Is it selfish of me to wish that things could be different?"

Yuffie listened onward, a bit thrown by the vagueness of Tifa's question. "Selfish?"

"You know, for there to be peace. That the kids could just stay kids, that we didn't have to fight. That Jasmine could be right there with them."

"That' not selfish," Yuffie told her friend, nudging her when the light at the crosswalk signaled that it was safe for them to cross the street. "You just want peace. Anybody would want that. Heck, I'd want that."

Tifa chuckled and shook her head. "No," she argued, "I think _too_ much peace would drive you crazy."

Yuffie gave Tifa a wink. "You know me too well. I mean, I have these ninja skills. It would be a shame to let them go to waste."

* * *

Listening with a keen ear and constantly scanning the area, Jasmine stood at her post waiting and watching Noctis and Prompto as they competed in the tournament. Her role in this mission was simple: she would act as support for the boys should they need assistance with cover from above. She honestly didn't expect for the mission to be taxing, but she knew that could change at a moment's notice.

She looked over the crowd from above and allowed her mind to drift for a moment. She wondered how her friends were doing on the island. Jasmine imagined that they were enjoying themselves by laughing and hanging out on the beach.

She felt a slight pang in her chest. How she wished she could have been there with them.

But she knew that she had to complete her missions with SOLDIER. Jasmine told herself that if she saw this through to the end that she could have the option to rest. In part, that's what helped her get out of bed every morning.

Jasmine snapped back to reality when she spotted a very familiar man pass through a door into the gaming area and disappearing. Her eyes narrowed into thin slits and she swore. She could recognize that mop of silver hair anywhere.

She checked to make sure that the gun strapped to her leg and concealed under her dress was loaded and kicked off her heels. Lowering herself to the floor, Jasmine decided to pursue the man by following him along the upper level.

'What the hell is Kadaj doing here?' Jasmine asked herself, feeling her chest tighten.

Jasmine slipped through a door leading to the area where Kadaj should have been with ease and closed it without making a sound. Now that she knew he was involved, Jasmine had to make sure that she was on her guard. After all, any time that Kadaj showed up, catastrophe followed swiftly after.

After she entered the new room, Jasmine dropped to the floor once she spotted Kadaj. Keeping her body flat and near the door, she peaked out over her shoulder to see that he wasn't alone.

"That's pretty cold, Xigbar," Kadaj said with a sickening chuckle. "Are you really going to do away with your own father?"

With that, Jasmine's blood ran cold. 'XIGBAR TOO?' she screamed mentally. Sure enough, taking another glance over her shoulder, she saw that Xigbar was standing near Kadaj in what appeared to be a study. She felt her stomach take a dip. This was not good. There were too many high level SHINRA members here for her liking. Most of whom had placed a target on her back.

"Braig is washed up," Xigbar said without an ounce of emotion. "He's served his purpose. I hate to see the old man go but he'd be more of a liability further down the line. Best to clean up the loose ends now before it bites us in the ass later."

Jasmine was floored. So, Braig was Xigbar's father. And his own son was going to assassinate him.

Despite his cheerful, playful attitude, Xigbar definitely had a darker side than he let on. While Jasmine knew this (the mere fact that he worked for SHINRA should have been proof enough), it was still startling to imagine that Xigbar would be so nonchalant about killing his father.

The sound of distant footsteps snapped Jasmine back to reality. She listened for the direction of the sound's origin and immediately left the area. Once she was back out to the space overlooking the gaming area and, before she knew it, she felt a hand reach out and snatch her wrist.

Jasmine immediately went into survival mode and whirled around, pinning the person behind the door quietly whilst holding the gun to the person's chin.

Her eyes widened in horror when she locked eyes with a very familiar, amber eyed young man she had come to know quite well over the years.

"Nice to see you too, Jasmine," Vanitas said, not even flinching with the gun pressed much-too-closely to his face.

A wave of dread washed over her as she took in the sight of Vanitas. "What the hell are you doing here?" She hissed.

Vanitas stepped away from Jasmine and pulled her back so that there were out of eyesight of the gamers down below. Gently grabbing her elbow, he led her into the shadows and near one of the windows. Dressed for the occasion as well in a well-tailored suit, it was clear that he had business here as well.

"You know as well as I do that when SHINRA is involved, I'm not too far behind," he replied simply in a hushed tone. Vanitas gave her a quick once over as she put away her gun. "You're just the same. I actually had no doubt in my mind that we'd run into each other."

Rolling her eyes, Jasmine mentally cursed. She did NOT want to run into Vanitas here, especially while she was on assignment. It was true that he had assisted her once in the past but Jasmine didn't want to get used to seeing him. After all, they were still on opposite sides of the equation and for all it was worth, he was still an enemy.

"Well I suggest you get the hell out of here," she warned him.

"Why would I do that?" Vanitas asked with a coy smile. He nodded towards the partygoers down below. "I see your prince down below. It looks like quite the party."

Jasmine parted her lips to snap back at Vanitas when she watched his facial expression harden. She stiffened slightly when she felt another presence behind them and reached for her guns as soon as the person who approached them spoke.

"My my," Kadaj said cheerfully. "Looks like I'm going to have one hell of a time tonight."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : I know. It's been an obscenely long time since I updated ANYTHING. I wish I could explain everything in this note but I think my explanation would be longer than this chapter. In any case, I promise you guys this story is still going on. I've just been going through an insanely tough time and was unable to write anything. But I'm not giving up on this story. Thank you to everyone who sent me reviews and messages checking up on me during this unintended hiatus. It really means the world to me that you guys still support both me and this story (as well as the others too).

Skeleus: I hope you liked this equally short chapter haha.

hopefuldreamer1991: Yup yup! How did you like the tie-in?

pinkdinosaur: Sorry about the really, really late update! I hope I can make up for this absence some day.

Nolumosthesun: Oh yes. Haha and quite a close connection.

LongTimeReader: I'm sorry I kept you and the others waiting for so long. I promise to NEVER take a break like that again.

Well guys I'm going to keep this short so I can work on the next chapter. Literally right now.

I'm sorry once again for the late update but I promise, this will be the last one.

Take care everyone!


	5. Chapter 5

Naminé exhaled as she threw her clutch purse on her desk, not even caring that half the contents of the back had spilled out and rolled on the floor. She was just happy that the night was over.

The blonde kicked off her high heeled pumps, secretly surprised that she had made it through the entire date without taking them off. She was never really good at wearing heels and prefered her flats but this was a first date and she wanted to look more like an adult.

'How the hell does Jasmine make it look so easy?' she thought inwardly as she imagined her best friend strolling through the streets with her sky high heels. 'Maybe one day I'll get better at this.'

Naminé threw herself on her bed and immediately crossed her legs one over the other and fished her phone out of her jacket pocket. But when she scrolled through her list of contacts in her phone and selected Jasmine's name, her heart sank. Her best friend was away and probably wasn't allowed to even have her phone on her. She wanted to tell Jasmine about the date she just went on and talk about how it went, but a wave of sadness washed over her when she realized that she might have to save this conversation for a much later date.

"Why are you staring at your phone? Waiting for him to text you back?"

Naminé jumped out of her skin when she saw Roxas standing in the doorway of her bedroom with a smirk on his face. Once the surprise wore off, a faint blush painted Namine's fair cheeks.

"No," she replied, trying to hide her face by lowering her head. "For the record, he texted me already when I got into the cab. Besides, I could be texting anyone."

"Nah," Roxas slouched against the door and crossed his arms over his chest. "If it were Kairi or any of the girls, you'd be on the phone." He entered her bedroom and placed his index finger between her eyes, tilting her head back and forcing her to look him in the eye. "We're twins. I know your habits better than anyone."

Frowning, Namine leaned back. As usual, Roxas was right. "That may be so, BUT I'm not about to text him."

"Then who were you about to text? You looked kinda sad a minute ago."

With a heavy sigh, Namine replied, "Jasmine. I wanted to tell her about the date but I forgot that she's away."

Roxas' grin faded as he stared at his sister's saddened expression. As much as Namine tried to hide it, he could clearly see that she clearly missed Jasmine.

"She's coming back in a few days," Roxas gently reminded her. "Ven told me so himself. I'm sure that when she gets back she'll want to hear how your date went."

Namine cast her phone aside and pulled her hair out of her face. "I know what Ven said…" she began slowly, as if she were trying to choose her words carefully, "but I still worry. It's not like she's on some vacation. She's on a mission…"

Roxas knew exactly why Namine paused right there and refused to complete her sentence. He didn't need her to complete the thought for him to know what she was going to say.

"I know you're worried that she might get hurt, but she's with her team," he plopped down on the bed next to his sister and put an arm on her shoulder. "I think you should trust Jasmine a little more. She can handle herself out there and has lived through a lot. One mission isn't going to take her out."

"It doesn't mean that I don't worry," Namine replied, trying to seek comfort in what her brother was telling her. "You know just as well as I do from Ven that things can go wrong at any time. So while I do think she can handle herself, there's still a chance that she might hurt herself."

"I could kill myself choking on a popcorn kernel but I'm still eating popcorn," Roxas deadpanned.

As simple and foolish as the thought was, Naminé had to admit that Roxas had a point. Anything could happen at any given time and even though the two situations were not equal in any way, Roxas' logic definitely helped Naminé calm down and rationalize everything.

"You're right," she said after a long pause. "

* * *

 _Jasmine laid in her bed, her head spinning as she stared blankly at her bedroom ceiling._

 _She inhaled slowly and exhaled shortly after, feeling a wave of numbness wash over her. But she wasn't alarmed. After the night she'd had, she openly welcomed her inability to feel a thing._

 _Rising slowly, her hair fell out of its haphazardly made up bun, her now wavy hair falling in her face. Glancing over the edge of her bed, Jasmine spotted the gun her uncle gave her lying next to a bottle of pills. Rubbing her eyes, she recalled last night vividly._

 _And despite the intensity of the night, she remained as calm as ever._

 _She'd had another dream of him. Vanitas. But unlike the traditional nightmares she used to have of him, this nightmare was much more alarming._

 _She closed her eyes and let her memories flood her mind. Immediately, Jasmine felt sickened and disgusted. She could take the dreams where Vanitas was preying upon her, the memories of him stalking her during her high school years, and even the constant reminders in her daily life that he was still out there by way of SOLDIER, but what Jasmine couldn't take were the dreams like the one she had last night – where she and Vanitas had a romantic relationship._

 _Ever since she'd returned from Vanitas' mansion, she couldn't escape the horrifying thought that maybe, just maybe, under different circumstances that she and he could have been together. All the evidence was there. If it hadn't been for his being adopted by his uncle, they would have continued a friendship, and they may have been together._

 _Jasmine exhaled deeply, frowning at the thought. Every bone in her body wanted to throw that thought out and let it fade to nothingness, but she couldn't escape it no matter what she did._

 _She hadn't spoken about her time with Vanitas in great detail to anyone, not even to Tifa. Jasmine thought that this was a problem she needed to sort out on her own and in truth, she already had the answer to the question she had in her head._

 _It was a strong possibility but in their current state, in their present lifetime, something like that could never happen._

 _And yet she couldn't escape those dreams, the twisted dreams she cursed, where she and Vanitas were together like a normal romantic couple._

 _It was then that Jasmine scoffed. Thinking about the list of lovers that went wrong, she was thoroughly convinced that she wouldn't know a "normal" romantic relationship if it shot her in the face._

* * *

Jasmine narrowed her eyes into thin, dangerous slits as she aimed at Kadaj. The last time she had seen or heard from him or his comrades, she had thrown herself out of the window of her burning childhood home. Trying to keep her anger in check, she focused her attention on the silver haired assassin in front of her, almost forgetting that Vanitas was there at all.

"I could ask you why you're here," Kadaj began with a hearty laugh, "but I think we all know the reason."

"Kadaj," Vanitas spoke suddenly but calmly, "you know we're not here for her or the other SOLDIER rats. You have a job to do. So do it," he commanded.

"This is true…" Kadaj trailed off. "But what if she gets in the way? It would be oh so reckless to let someone so high on my kill list pass through."

Jasmine stepped in front of Vanitas, never once taking her eyes off Kadaj. "The same could be said for you," she said gently.

Vanitas looked at the pair, his general nonchalant attitude unwavering. But on the inside he was quite concerned. He knew full well that a fight between the two different factions would be unavoidable at this point. And even though he knew that Jasmine could handle herself in a fight, she would have a lot of trouble facing Kadaj.

"As smart as you are," Vanitas said coolly to Jasmine, "I would have thought that you would know when to back down. This isn't a fight you can win. Stand aside and let us handle our business."

Jasmine's eyes sharpened. There was no way she could abandon the mission and let SHINRA get away with what they were planning. Even if she weren't on a mission, Kadaj was reason enough to push harder. She had her own personal issue with him and there was no way she would let him through, at least not without a fight.

Kadaj yawned as he stared at Jasmine. He tapped the earpiece he had on his right ear and pressed down on it. "Kill him," he said without an ounce of hesitation.

And just like that, a shot rang through the air, shortly followed by a wave of gasps and screams. Jasmine looked over the railing and saw that Braig, the man she had been tasked to monitor, had been shot though the head, fell to the floor and was bleeding to death before party goers.

She gritted her teeth, realizing that she and the others had failed the mission and turned her attention to a smiling Kadaj.

"Looks like you've got a mess to clean up," he said cheerfully.

Before Jasmine could say another word, a figure hit the floor in front of her with a loud _boom_ and she stepped back. Dressed in a hooded cloak, with a familiar rifle in hand, and quite possibly one of the few men who could have actually made such a shot from such a far distance, was none other than Xigbar.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted, eyeing her dangerously. "Long time no see. How's the folks?"

Without an ounce of hesitation, Jasmine took aim and fired at Xigbar, aiming for his feet to put some distance between herself and him. She took out a second handgun, keeping a close eye on Xigbar. Even though she knew she had to deal with Kadaj and Vanitas, Xigbar was more of the threat right now and she was not going to let him get away, at least not unscathed.

"Looks like it's time for us to leave. Come on. Vanitas," Kadaj said, motioning towards Vanitas. "This one might get a little messy."

Vanitas casually shrugged his shoulders and turned his back on Xigbar and Jasmine, not wanting to leave the latter alone. But he knew that he couldn't stay. After all, they were on two different sides of this war. He knew that. She knew that. But while he was worried about Jasmine, he was confident that she would be able to make it out of this fight alive. He just wished that it didn't have to be this way.

"Just don't mess up that pretty face of hers," Vanitas said jokingly. "She and I still have unfinished business." With that, he and Kadaj walked through the doors behind Jasmine. But as Kadaj passed by her, he paused.

"I'll see you another time," he told her, adding an icy, bone-chilling chuckle after the fact.

Once both Kadaj and Vanitas were gone, Xigbar readied himself. "I've been waiting a long time to see you again, kid. I heard that you take after your uncle, Vincent. It would look _damn_ good on my resume to take out one of the Valentines."

Jasmine, who had often been compared to the likes of her uncle, went on her guard. What Xigbar said was no empty threat. He wanted to take her out, even before he realized she was a Valentine. But now that he saw greater gain in it, she knew that he was not going to let her go easily.

But then as she remembered one moment in particular – the moment that she and Riku had been struck down by one of Xigbar's bullets. When Riku was bleeding to death on the cold hard ground before her, his life slowly but surely draining away, she felt an anger she hadn't felt in such a long time bubble to the surface. Not to the point where she felt like she had lost control, but just enough anger to where she received a little extra push.

As long as he was loose, her loved ones were in danger and it was very clear that he did not care about who he struck down so long as he reached his goal.

Jasmine took aim at Xigbar and inhaled sharply before she fired. "I won't make it easy for you," she announced before pulling the trigger.

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update guys. I had to buy a brand new laptop because my old one finally burned out on me. I literally lost EVERYTHING, even the map I made for this story. But in any case I'm still going for it. Also, thank you all for the messages and support. It really means the world to me and helps get me through it all.

Hopefuldreamer1991: I hope that you liked this chapter as much as the last. Also, thank you for the kind words.

Pinkdinosaur: I'm so glad that you're happy to see this story back. I'm just sorry that it's taken so long.

GUEST: sorry it took a little longer than expected. Thank you for the support!

Nolumosthesun: I'm glad that it was worth it though!

Guest: Wait for it – it gets worse haha.

Meyoume: Thank you! It's glad to be back!

Guest: I promise! I'm not going to abandon this story! Ever!

LongTimeReader: I'm so glad this made your day. I hope you like the new chapter!

Skeleus: Thank you for being so understanding!

Thanks a lot guys for the support. I should be able to update the story sooner rather than later. Let me know in a review what you thought about the chapter and I'll see you next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Noctis stared at his team as they were driven away from the site of the party. Despite their main person of interest being killed, the mission was a success. They retrieved information from another viable source and there were almost no casualties.

He looked across the faces of Prompto, Ignis, Gladiolus. They all were pumped to the mission's success despite the tragic event that took place. Prompto grinned as he and Gladiolus counted their earnings for the evening. Ignis was on the phone with Tseng, relaying the information that they received.

But while he was happy that the team had done relatively well and had emerged unharmed, he couldn't help but feel a little off balance.

The reason for his discomfort? His partner's odd, cold behavior.

In the back of the car Jasmine elected to sit by herself and appeared to be lost in thought, clearly mulling over something. She hadn't said a word since the group had found each other and had been taken away from the site, something Noctis found troubling. Usually she would have divulged her information to them all straightaway but this time kept to herself completely.

"Something on your mind?" Noctis asked casually, looking over his shoulder to get a good view of her face.

Jasmine gave him nothing more than a vacant expression. "I always have something on my mind," she responded plainly.

Noctis, not satisfied with her reply but knowing full well that now was not the time to challenge her, decided to drop the subject and approach it again when they got back to their apartment. This was not the time to start an argument. Especially when the two of them were still on thin ice.

"When we get back," Noctis began cautiously, "maybe…we could go get dinner. I'm starving."

"Ven asked me to help him with something," Jasmine said apologetically. "But we could do something later on."

Noctis rolled his eyes but he made the mistake of not turning back around before doing so.

"Do you have a _problem_ with me hanging out with Ven?" Jasmine asked, her tone clearly reflecting agitation.

"No," Noctis answered quickly, clearly not wanting to piss of his partner. "That's not it."

Jasmine simply stared at Noctis before she shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention to the window on her left. It was clear that she wanted to drop the subject, indefinitely.

But still, there was something not quite natural about Jasmine's relationship with Ventus. Sure, they were good friends, but there was also something else there that Noctis couldn't place his hands on.

At least, not yet anyway.

Tifa gave a slight sigh as she approached the restaurant, watching Jasmine put away her pipe when she caught sight of her. Even though Tifa knew full well that Jasmine was a smoker, she still had a hard time accepting it. She understood Jasmine's reason for picking up the habit, but it was difficult to see it, especially considering how (in her younger years) Jasmine was very vocal about how much she despised smoking.

Once Tifa and Jasmine met, the godmother took her into her arms and pulled her down into a hug, which Jasmine returned with enthusiasm.

"How was your trip?" Tifa asked, leading Jasmine to the patio area of the restaurant. "Ven told me you got back yesterday."

Jasmine sighed as she sat down in her chair, turning her phone off as soon as she got settled in. "It went smoothly for the most part," she explained. "No one got hurt from our teams and we got what we needed."

Tifa knew by the controlled look on Jasmine's face that something else had transpired. However, knowing that the mission she went on was confidential, Tifa understood that she really couldn't ask her what happened. Still, the curiosity was killing her.

"I see," Tifa said slowly as she perused the menu. "Still, I'm glad you made it home safely."

Jasmine pulled her sunglasses off her face and used them to pin back her overgrown bangs. "Thanks. I am too."

"I'm probably never going to get used to you being away on missions," Tifa said distantly. She stole a glance at Jasmine, still unable to believe that her goddaughter was a 1st Class member of SOLDIER. But then again, when she thought about Jasmine's family history, it wasn't too hard to see how she got there.

"You know," Tifa began, "your mother never wanted you in SOLDIER."

With a casual shrug, Jasmine began scanning over the menu as well. "Oh I know. She's the first Valentine to NOT be involved with them. I think in part that's why she was so eager to marry my father – to have an excuse to NOT join."

Tifa set the menu down, pushed it aside and gave Jasmine a serious stare. "Could you blame her?" She whispered. "I think she wanted out of that life. Especially with the Valentines being involved with them from the beginning."

"Honestly?" Jasmine set her menu aside as well, having figured out what she wanted to order. "I understand her reasoning. Besides, I don't think she was built for this."

With a rueful smile, Tifa said, "Most people aren't. But I believe she wanted different for you - something a little less chaotic. So did your uncle…not that he thinks you're doing a bad job. You're doing extremely well. It's just that…" Tifa's voice trailed off distantly as she gave Jasmine a quick once over.

"I know," Jasmine said, almost as if she were reading Tifa's mind. "For the most part, the Valentines don't have the longest life expectancies. But it seems like we're supposed to end up here no matter what. I just hope that Tseng doesn't drive me insane."

Before Tifa could say anything more, she stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and her eyes widened in surprise before she smiled at the familiar silver-haired youth standing behind her.

"I hope you don't mind me butting in," Riku said casually, giving Tifa a hug when she stood up. "I saw you guys walk in and wanted to say hi."

After she released Riku from the hug, Tifa turned her attention to Jasmine who seemed to have almost no reaction whatsoever from Riku's presence. "It's always good to see you, Riku."

"Likewise," he replied warmly. Riku turned his attention to Jasmine and offered her a warm smile as well. "Hi, Jasmine. How are you?"

Calmly and casually, Jasmine took the ice off her stare and tried to look relaxed and unbothered. "I'm well, thanks. How are you doing?"

"I'm good," he answered.

Jasmine noticed the gym bag strapped to his back and then did a quick once-over of him. She had to admit, Riku looked just as attractive as ever. And, upon further examination of his well-developed arms and even stronger looking chest, she noticed that he'd gained a little more muscle since the last time she saw him. "You just came back from the gym I assume?"

Even to Riku, he knew that her question was more of a statement and he could feel her eyes on him, which – bizarrely – made him feel a tad nervous. "Yeah. Sora and I just came back from a session. He said he wanted to get a good workout in and needed a little help with…motivation."

Jasmine rolled her eyes, picturing Riku drag Sora from his bed all the way down to the gym. "Oh yeah…I can imagine him needing _a lot_ of encouragement."

Riku chuckled. He'd heard from Naminé that Jasmine had just gotten back into town and was debating on whether to check in on her. He smiled, happy for this chance encounter, as brief as it was about to be.

"Well I've got to get going. I promised my mom that I would help with family dinner," Riku told the pair.

Jasmine lifted an eyebrow. " _You're_ going to be cooking?"

Riku chuckled, completely understanding of why his statement sounded so bizarre. "I've actually started cooking for myself. Not that campus food is all that bad, but I figure that I should learn how to do things on my own."

Tifa and Jasmine gave each other approving stares with Jasmine giving Riku a nod. "I'm impressed. Maybe you're not the same, little, rich snot I met years ago," she added with a chuckle before taking another sip of her water.

"Glad you feel that way," Riku replied, casually rolling with Jasmine's joking, but sincere, compliment. "In any case, I'll see you guys later."

Tifa and Jasmine waved as Riku left the pair and went on his way, with the former giving her lunch date a wide-eyed grin.

"That was adorable," Tifa laughed as she scanned over her menu once more. "Almost like the good old days, don't you think?"

"Not really," Jasmine admitted casually. "I would've probably been a lot ruder back in high school. I think it's more of an improvement really."

Tifa nodded before she folded her menu, having decided what to order. Jasmine was right. Back in high school, she and Riku used to be at each other's throats. Now, even though there was still slight discomfort in the air whenever they were in the same room, they seemed to be rather cordial. Almost friends even…

"Do you think you'll ever be friends?" Tifa asked.

Jasmine finished off her iced tea and looked away. "Who knows? I don't make plans for the future anymore. If it happens, it happens. It's not something I'm opposed to anyway. Besides…I'd rather have friends over enemies. At this point I have too many of the latter."

While Tifa had to admit that there was a harshness to Jasmine's reply, she knew that she had every right to think and feel in the way that she did. She was part of SOLDIER now and the grim truth was that she was operating on borrowed time – especially in the field where she was working.

"Riku is bigger than he was when I saw him at Naminé's party," Jasmine said observantly. "I wonder what he's up to."

Tifa, slightly thrown by Jasmine's observation, laughed it off. "He's probably just really into working out. I think it centers him. Cloud and Zack work out all the time and they say it really helps."

"They're also active members of SOLDIER again," she replied quickly. "The two of them need to train." Upon noticing the slight shock on Tifa's face, Jasmine continued speaking, albeit with a less aggressive tone. "Tseng told me."

'Of course,' Tifa rolled her eyes mentally. Then again, with Jasmine's original background being in information, it made sense why and how she would know what Zack and Cloud were doing.

"I just worry about them, that's all," Jasmine admitted. "I wanted Sora, Kairi and the others to be okay. And I can't be there for them like I used to be. I don't know. I guess my friends and family are my weakness."

Tifa stared at Jasmine, saddened by the events over the years that led everyone down this path. But above everyone else, Tifa felt for Jasmine – who had undoubtedly suffered the most. Despite her feelings about the situation, Tifa put on a smile for Jasmine and reached for her god-daughter's hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

"Just don't forget that those people you care about, also care about you. You're not in this alone. Not anymore."

With a heavy sigh, Jasmine slipped her phone back into her pocket, staring at the elevator that led her to her and Noctis' apartment. She'd just gotten word that Noctis, Prompto and the others were going out for a "guy's night" and, in reality, she couldn't have been happier to hear that. After hanging out all day with her friends and family, all Jasmine wanted to do was spend time alone in her room or laid back in her bathtub while listening to music.

When Jasmine reached the door, she realized that the doorman was not there. Instantly, she went on the defense and reached into her purse, clutching the gun that her uncle had given her a long time ago.

She entered into the apartment, feeling an uncomfortable air in the room. As soon as she closed the door she dropped her purse, holding only the gun in her hand.

Once she heard a sharp breath she whipped around, pulled off the safety and aimed the gun in the direction of the sound. When she realized where, or rather who, the sound came from, her jaw clenched and she swore.

"You've got balls, Vanitas," Jasmine said with a tight jaw as she connected eyes with the SHINRA agent. "I give you that."

Vanitas, who had his hands up over his head, smirked. "Tell me something I don't know."

"What the hell are you doing here? You do realize that Noctis and I can shoot you on the spot right?"

Vanitas' smirk disappeared and he lowered his arms a bit. "I know that," he replied. "But that's something I'm willing to risk." Upon noticing the confusion on Jasmine's face, he continued. "We have to talk."

"About what?"

"About that night at the party," he continued. "There's something you need to know."

Author's Note: Thanks guys for sticking with this! I hope you liked this chapter. Onto the next one! I'm going to address all of the reviews in the next chapter (which I'm currently editing now). I appreciate all the kind words and emails you guys have sent me. It's been a really trying time and I'm glad to say that things seem to finally be clearing up!

Take care and see you soon!


	7. Chapter 7

"You have two minutes," Jasmine warned Vanitas as she locked the door behind him. She cursed inwardly, knowing that Vanitas being here was nothing to celebrate.

Vanitas glanced around the apartment and whistled, looking almost astonished as he took in the sight of the elegant flat. "Wow, this sure is a come up from Tifa's place."

Jasmine followed Vanitas as he made his way to the living room. When he was near one of the sofas, she roughly grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him onto it, standing directly in his path.

"I'm not joking," she warned. "You'd better start talking because Noctis will be here in a few minutes."

Vanitas casually shrugged. "I'm not as weak as you think I am. I can hold my own."

Jasmine said nothing, trying to control her irritation from Vanitas sneaking into the building. "Not against Noctis. Start talking."

With a sigh of defeat, Vanitas rested his hands on his knees and began. "You need to get out of SOLDIER."

After a moment of silence, Jasmine rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "I can't believe you wasted your time to tell me to quit my job. Don't you have better things to do?"

"I'm serious," Vanitas stated, all of his prior jest and cheer gone.

"So am I."

"Look, things are starting to take off. And you know just as well as I do that SOLDIER is the one group we're trying to get rid of. You need out get out before things get worse."

Jasmine wasn't surprised. None of this was news to her. She'd known for years that SHINRA and SOLDIER were always looking for ways to wipe each other off the face of the map. But what did surprise her was that Vanitas would risk his life to come to her and Noctis' apartment – alone -to tell her something she was sure he knew she already knew.

There had to be more to the story.

"Why are you _really_ here, Vanitas?" Jasmine asked, rubbing her forehead. "I don't think you'd come just to waste my information that I already had."

"You saw what happened at the party," Vanitas stated plainly.

Jasmine paused, reflecting back on that night and shifted uncomfortably. That night was the reason why she'd been so on edge as of late. But just as quickly as the memory formed, she immediately pushed it to the back of her thoughts.

"I think it would be wise for you to bow out now before things get worse – which you know they will."

Jasmine sighed and rubbed her forehead, anticipating a headache from this stressful encounter. "Look, you've got to give me more than that, Vanitas."

"And you know why I can't," Vanitas replied. He sighed and rose to his feet, slightly towering over the young SOLDIER girl. "I have to go."

A new wave of annoyance washed over Jasmine and she rubbed her temples. "I don't understand how you could be more of a pain now than you were years ago, but you're doing it."

Vanitas dug his hands in his pockets and chuckled. Giving her a small smile and placing a hand on top of her forehead, he ruffled her hair. "I'm sure you'll get over it." Sighing as he took his hand away, Vanitas gave Jasmine a quick once over, his heart aching as it usually did when he thought of her. "Catch you later."

Before Vanitas could walk off, he was surprised when he felt a hand squeeze his left forearm. He froze and looked behind him, bewildered at the action. Jasmine's grip was strong and although she did not look at him (her gaze was in the opposite direction), he could feel the intensity.

"Don't trust Xigbar," she said in a calm, yet serious tone.

Vanitas lifted an eyebrow, confused by the randomness of the statement. "What are you talking about?"

Jasmine repeated herself. "Don't trust Xigbar." She added, "Just believe me on this one. I know he works for you, but he can't be trusted."

Vanitas felt his stomach drop at the ominous statement. Why would she make such a claim? After all, Xigbar had been one of his right-hand men for years and, up until this point, he never felt the need to question his loyalty. But Vanitas knew that Jasmine would not make such a claim unless she had evidence to back it up.

"Okay," Vanitas said casually. Once Jasmine released her grip, he chuckled again and looked over his shoulder, this time meeting her stoic gaze. "But how do I know I can trust you? From my vantage point, you're on the other side of all this."

Jasmine folded her hands over her chest and sighed in exasperation. "In case you didn't know, you're on my shoot-kill on site list. If I see you, I'm supposed to kill you. But you're not dead yet and if I really wanted to, I could have killed you by now."

Vanitas laughed. "But you're not even armed."

In what seemed like a split second, Jasmine pulled out the handgun she had concealed the entire time from, what looked like, a holster that was underneath her sweatpants and aimed the barrel directly at Vanitas.

"Think again," she stated plainly.

Vanitas had to admit that even he was surprised that he hadn't noticed the gun. And it was a little more than unnerving to see her pointed the gun at him. After all, she still had a reputation for being a great shot even within SHINRA.

He cursed inwardly. He hadn't even thought of really checking to make sure that she had a weapon on her. His entire focus was just on meeting her and even though he knew that Noctis and his group were far away, there was still the chance that (for whatever reason) she could have taken a shot at him.

The reality of the situation was crushing but Vanitas smirked to hide his discomfort. "I forgot. I'm still dealing with a Valentine here. I need to keep my guard up."

"What for?" She asked before taking a seat on the couch. "I think you know that I'm not going to hurt you. If I wanted to kill you, I could have done so years ago. But Noctis on the other hand…," Jasmine trailed off pointing to the exit.

"I get the hint. Later."

And with that, Vanitas was gone. Once she heard the door click behind him, she exhaled and sunk into the couch, scratching her forehead with the barrel of the gun before setting it on the table in front of her.

'That gun wasn't even loaded,' she thought, finding the irony almost comical. While she did have ammunition, it was in the holster underneath her sweatpants. And, although it wouldn't have taken long to load the gun, it was still useless at the moment. 'Nothing wrong with at least giving him a little scare.'

But shifting back to their conversation (which many would argue wasn't much of one to begin with) Jasmine felt the wheels turning again.

Vanitas would never show up unless he felt it was absolutely necessary. He wasn't reckless in the slightest. In fact, he was one of the most tactical, pragmatic people she'd ever met in her entire life. And although he didn't really share anything on the surface level, he had communicated something of great importance to her.

Things were going to start escalating.

Jasmine shivered at the thought, feeling a bit uneasy about what the future would hold. But as she told Vanitas, she was staying in SOLDIER and there was nothing he could say to convince her to leave. For now, they were going to have to remain on opposite sides of the fence and fight it out as they usually did.

Upon recalling her own advice to Vanitas, Jasmine silently prayed that he would take heed to what she said.

'I never thought I'd see the day when I was helping out Vanitas.'

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Long time no see everyone.

I'll explain my absence soon.

All I can say is that I'm glad to be back and thank you everyone for all the kind words.

Until next time!


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